Forward talks recent USF pledge

During an official visit to USF last weekend, Detroit Community High School small forward Byron Zeigler gave a verbal commitment to coach Stan Heath and the Bulls.

"We were shooting around in the gym on Saturday afternoon and I walked up to coach Heath and told him I'm coming," said Zeigler, a three-star recruit. "He was real happy. I think he thought I was going to wait and take my other two visits before deciding."

A 6-foot-6 finisher that excels in transition and loves to attack the basket, Zeigler picked the Bulls over Iowa and Providence. He also had offers from Central Michigan, Tennessee, Xavier Michigan State, Indiana, Iowa State and others.

"I always felt like South Florida was my favorite but I didn't know for sure until I got on campus," Zeigler said. "That was the icing on the cake. The people were friendly and it's a nice atmosphere. During the visit I went to some classrooms, dorms, and the off campus apartments and facilities. As they were giving me this tour, I could see myself there."

Zeigler's recruitment by USF happened quickly over the summer.

"I worked on becoming more of a complete player over the summer. I got my handle together. I had a good summer," he said. "USF got in touch and then they offered me right after the Fab 48 tournament in July. Since the summer ended, I've been working on my strength and my wind. I've been doing a lot of conditioning work. I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life."

Basketball is somewhat of a family business for Ziegler. His cousin is Pittsburgh guard Trey Zeigler and his uncle is former Central Michigan coach Ernie Zeigler. Bo's father, Zane, accompanied him on the visit to Tampa but wasn't with him when his son committed.

"I was in one of the lounges and he came in and told me he committed," Zane Ziegler said. "The coaches came in and asked me to confirm the commitment and I said 'Yes, let's do it'. The Big East impressed me. That's big time basketball. But the academics of USF caught my eye. I want my son to be a good student."

Zeigler has already taken the ACT and plans to sign his National Letter of Intent Nov 14 at a ceremony at his high school.

Zeigler is USF's fifth commitment for the 2013 class, joining John Egbunu, Drew Davis, Josh Heath and Chris Perry.